Friday, April 29, 2011

Raise your hand if you have kids and their stuff is everywhere. I'm talking socks in the dining room, crayons under the couch, and toys, toys, toys taking over the house.

Is your hand up? Mine sure is. There aren't only socks in my dining room, but I see a pair of pajama pants nearby as well. Who changes out of their pajamas in the dining room?

There are times that I want to take every last item and pack it all away so that we have spotless rooms and shining clean surfaces everywhere I look. But then... that wouldn't be here. That wouldn't be us. I know that I have children and I know that they love their toys, so of course I want them to be able to play with them and have them accessible when they need them.

But... the issue of having enough space is one that affects nearly every parent, no matter if you live in a small apartment or a large home. Does that mean that we have to either give up all available room in our house or forgo getting items for our children that are remotely big?

Taking the ever-popular concept of the play kitchen and giving it an extremely innovative update, at first glance the Hideaway Country Kitchen (also available in an adorable pastel Hideaway Playtime Kitchen version) looks like a high quality, compact toy measuring 30" wide and 15¼" deep.

However, the unique aspect of this kitchen comes when, in a few simple steps, an adult is able to fold the entire front of it in on itself so that it ends up with a depth of only 6". Simply store it away in a closet, slide it behind a couch, or slip it under a bed and you won't have permanently lost any space.

Inventive idea, isn't it? Considering how much we know and love the Guidecraft All In One Kitchen and so many of the other great Guidecraft toys out there, when the Hideaway Playtime Kitchen arrived, I had no doubt that it would live up to the high standards that we have for their amazing products.

Even with Guidecraft's clear, concise, easy-to-follow instructions and all of the parts and pieces well-labeled, it probably took around an hour to have this kitchen fully assembled. I was able to complete nearly the entire construction process myself (I love putting things together and won't involve my husband unless absolutely necessary) but did require an extra set of hands at the end to hold the pieces level to correctly attach the hinges.

Before I knew it, I was putting away my screwdriver and standing back to admire the finished product... which really is just so very, very cute.

Even though this isn't an extremely large kitchen, it still has plenty of fun and realistic features for kids to enjoy. The hands move on the clock, the knobs on the oven, dishwasher, and sink turn, and there are even silver "burners" on the stove top.

With the two large doors for the oven and dishwasher, not only do kids have fun opening and closing them while playing, but the space underneath is perfect storage for food, dishes, and more. Stick a bin or two under there and young chefs would be ready to pull them out and put them back with ease.

Big Sister E and Little Sister B dove right into playing with the Hideaway Country Kitchen and have been thrilled each day to explain all of the dishes they are cooking to me. I love watching them open and close the doors so that they can place items inside and the amount of cooperation and imagination that this kitchen inspires is just plain fun to see.

However, the fact that this kitchen can fold up so compactly has truly amazed me every time. In only a minute or two it can go from fully open and ready for play to completely closed up in preparation for storage.

That doesn't mean that the children playing are ever in danger of it collapsing in on itself though, not by any means. Guidecraft made things completely safe by including a strong bolt through the middle that keeps the kitchen locked in the open or closed position. To begin the transformation, simply use the provided L-wrench to remove it......and the entire counter top, including the sink, lifts right up.

Move the same single bolt to the top, where the counter is now screwed securely in to stay in a vertical position.

Finally, simply lift up the two metal latches from inside the sides of the base, pull up the bottom, and fold the whole thing in on itself...

...until, in literally a minute or so, the whole thing is down to a depth of 6". Even though I knew 6" wasn't very wide, the first time that I folded up the Hideaway Country Kitchen, I couldn't believe that it was that thin.

Talk about efficient storage! When folded, I'm able to move this kitchen by myself and can tuck it just about anywhere so that it is out of sight. Brilliant!

Needless to say, the smart minds over at Guidecraft have created an amazing play kitchen. Retailing for $200 (or on sale for a steal at $141 on Amazon), the Hideaway Country Kitchen and Hideaway Playtime Kitchen are not only top of the line craftsmanship and quality while being extremely fun, the addition of the "hideaway" feature is pure genius.

Children end up with something that they are going to play, pretend, learn, and imagine with for years and years to come and parents have the peace of mind knowing that they can move it out of the way quickly and easily if needed. Heck, when your kids finally outgrow it, it will only take up 6" of storage space to put it away for future grandchildren!

With everything from toys to furniture that encourage open-ended educational play, the Guidecraft name is simultaneous with only the very best! And, thanks to their endless generosity, one person will get to experience the joy, creativity, and laughter that comes from an incredible toy like this one, because...

One lucky person will win a Hideaway Country Kitchenfrom Guidecraft!

To enter to win: Visit Guidecraft and tell me another of their amazing products that you love.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Guidecraft on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed of the Guidecraft blog and/or Like them on their NEW Facebook page.1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Giveaway will end on May 20th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A massively large thank you to Guidecraft for providing a Hideaway Country Kitchen for me to review as well as for one very lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

OMG! This reminds me so much of my grandma's kitchen where I used to help her bake things using her Hoosier Cabinet! Most adorable thing ever! I'll say also the doll furniture from their website but this is what has my vote. barb g. directorylanesuperstore(at)gmail.com